Diamond Says Tv Special Like A Fantasy Come True

Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond stars in a TV special Sunday night, his first in nine years.

``After my last special in 1977 I promised myself I wouldn`t wait 10 years before I did another,`` he said with a grin. ``So I waited nine years.``

The tall, laid-back Diamond relaxed in an easy chair in his spacious, airy office suite.

He was anxious to talk about his one-hour CBS-TV musical, titled Hello Again, his third special. The first two, in 1976 and 1977, won Emmy nominations and earned big Nielsen ratings.

Diamond is convinced this week`s production surpasses his earlier specials.

``This is like my ultimate fantasy come true,`` he said. ``Stevie Wonder and Carol Burnett are my guests. I`ve always wanted to work with both of them. Stevie is brilliant, and Carol sings and does comedy sketches wonderfully.``

One of the big numbers in the special will be Headed For The Future, the title song from Diamond`s latest hit album.

``It may be my biggest album in 10 years,`` he said. ``I collaborated with Stevie and Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager on some of the songs. Only three songs in the album weren`t written by me.

``Most are ballads, but some are what I like to call adult rock, songs that have something to say -- not just, `I think I`ll drown myself in a chocolate malt.` ``

The singer is in the middle of a 45-city tour of the country, including a week`s stop at New York`s Madison Square Garden where he will sing to capacity crowds.

``This is my first extensive tour in a decade,`` Diamond said. ``I wanted 1986 to be full of action for me with the TV special, the new album and the tour.

``Basically, I`m a songwriter. It`s the bedrock of what I do and the hardest part of my career. It`s all work. Performing is all fun. But everything is based on writing songs that go into concerts, albums and TV shows. I`ve been writing since I was 16, but I have no idea how many songs I`ve written or had published.``

No matter the 11 platinum albums, the nine gold albums and his devotion to music, Diamond still harbors dreams of becoming an actor.